Regulation of transposition in bacteria.

Bacterial transposons are subject to a variety of regulatory processes that affect the quantity, quality, and timing of transposition events. Many of these processes seem specifically designed to provide features that favor the evolutionary success of the element. The most important conclusion reached from the identification and characterization of these regulatory mechanisms is that transposable elements are not mechanistic accidents of recent origin, but instead are highly evolved entities that have adapted to their ecological niche with a degree of sophistication comparable to that exhibited by plasmids and bacterial viruses.